The control and elimination of mites is a severe problem for poultry growers. For some unknown reason, mites appear periodically in a poultry grower's flock, and cause considerable discomfort to the poultry with the result that the poultry is less healthy, and less productive. Known methods of controlling or eliminating mites in poultry flocks generally include the introduction of a poison into a spray solution for the poultry. Oral ingestion of drugs is not known to the applicant as far as the control of mites is concerned.
One antibiotic, bacitracin has been used as a feed supplement by forming the zinc salt of bacitracin then removing the precipitated zinc bacitracin and waterinsoluable solids and drying the same to obtain the aforesaid feed supplement. The formulation of the feed supplement is disclosed and taught in U.S. Pat. to Chornock No. 2,809,892 issued Oct. 15, 1957, the teaching of which is incorporated herein by reference. As disclosed this feed supplement is utilized for the purpose of giving additional growth-promoting effects and aids in producing larger animals at an earlier age than can be done with feed containing only growth promoters such as vitamin B.sub.12.
It is further known that bacitracin exhibits some additional beneficial results in the prevention and treatment of chronic respiratory diseases, egg production, egg hatchability, to prevent early mortality of baby chicks due to organisms sensitive to bacitracin, prevention and treatment of blue comb and for the suppression of secondary invaders that are sensitive to bacitracin during periods of stress, such as debeaking, vaccinating, and moving the flock. Known suggested portions of the active drug bacitracin range from 4 grams to 500 grams per ton.
Applicant of the instant invention, on the other hand, has found that this feed supplement has a separate and altogether unconnected use. This unique use is for the control and elimination of mites in poultry flocks. At the heart of this use is applicant's discovery that bacitracin is toxic to mites. It has been found that the introduction of this supplement into poultry grain in such amounts as to provide between 100 and 200 grams of bacitracin per ton for a short period of time (several days) will substantially eliminate mites from a flock of poultry so infested.
It is therefore within the objects of the present invention to provide a new and improved process for the elimination of mites in poultry flocks; which process involves causing the oral ingestion of the antibiotic bacitracin as by the introduction of the antibiotic bacitracin to the feed of the poultry.
Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention will become apparent from reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment.